Ellsbury Kid Dynamo for Sox in center

Red Sox rookie Jacoby Ellsbury is ready to take center stage this season.

Bob Stern

There was a joke floating around during last year’s World Series that Jacoby Ellsbury would win the World Series MVP award before winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

And like many jokes, this one was based on truth.

Ellsbury was nothing short of sensational during his short stay with the Red Sox last season.

A former first-round draft pick out of Oregon State, he finally made it to the big leagues on June 30, was sent back down, came back up on Aug. 17, was sent back down and came back up on Sept. 1.

This time, it looks to be for good.

During those three trips with Boston, he hit .353 with three home runs, 18 RBI, nine stolen bases and what looks like a stranglehold on the center field job.

But it was during the postseason when Ellsbury truly shined. He didn’t play much in the first two series against the Angels and Indians, but he took over for a slumping Coco Crisp in center for Game 6 of the ALCS, and it looks like he may never leave.

In the last two games of the ALCS against Cleveland, the 24-year-old call-up hit .250 (2-for-8) but followed that by hitting .438 (7-for-16) in the World Series against Colorado, leading the team in hits during the series.

There was sentiment that Ellsbury should have been the series MVP over Mike Lowell.

But that matters little now. With a new season underway, Ellsbury looks entrenched in center field.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona spent most of spring training downplaying that and praising Crisp for the work he did in center field last year, but there’s little doubt the Sox spent the offseason trying to trade Crisp.

“I think it’s good for both of us,” Ellsbury told MLB.com about his competition with Crisp. “It pushed me that much harder in the offseason. I’m sure it did Coco as well. You know, we have a good relationship and we’ll make the best of the situation.”

The job, almost assuredly, is Ellsbury’s. He’s been a prime prospect for the Red Sox ever since being drafted in 2005 and has done little to tarnish that image.

Last year, he was named the Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Year and Baserunner of the Year for the second straight season.

Ellsbury also combined to hit .323 with 82 runs, two home runs, 41 RBI and 41 stolen bases in 104 games with Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket.

When he got to Boston, he didn’t slow down. He hit safely in 27 of his 32 major league regular-season games with an at-bat, including a 13-game hitting streak from Sept. 1-15. That was the longest streak by a Red Sox rookie outfielder since Jim Rice hit in 13 straight in 1975.

Success hasn’t spoiled him, though. Ellsbury is a hero back home in Madras, Ore., where the town threw a parade for him after the World Series. Nevertheless, he has worked hard in the offseason to improve his game.

He said he took a four-day vacation after the World Series and spent the rest of the offseason working out.

“Basically, six days a week,” he said. “I was in some sort of workouts of baseball-related activities. Basically, my entire game I worked on — my speed, my defense, my strength.

“Pretty much every aspect of the game you could look at, I tried to touch on and just continue to improve in every area.

“Whatever level you’re at, you’re always fighting for your job.

“When I was in college, as a freshman, I was trying to fight for that center-field spot. In pro ball and now, the same thing. These are the best players in the world. You just have to be ready for it.”

Ellsbury’s name surfaced in the trade talks for Twins pitcher Johan Santana, a deal that failed to materialize, and he’s happy to still be with the Red Sox.

“I wanted to stay with the Red Sox, but at the same time, just with me being busy working out, I didn’t try to think about it too much,” Ellsbury said. “I had no control over the situation. I basically just worked out and got ready for next season with whoever the team might be. I’m happy with how things happened.”